Is that in a .357 or a .38 case? I'm guessing in a .357 based on the charge.
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
-
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
reloading for IDPA SSR
- Thread starter M1911
- Start date
Is that in a .357 or a .38 case? I'm guessing in a .357 based on the charge.
Because Jose is using a lead bullet and you're using a plated. My poly coated lead 158gr bullets make PF with 4.5gr of HP-38/W231.
2 out of 3 of mine made chrono at CT State IDPA match. John C. started to give me a hard time and then only 2 out of 3 of his rounds made PF
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
. Last year I chrono'd my plated & lead loads out of Jeff's K-frame and they were faster than my 686SSR.
J
Jose
That's in a 38 case.
Loads in the 4.7 - 4.8 range made PF on warm days but not on cold ones (marginal).
My load chronos about 900 fps out of a 4" Model 64 on an 80 degree day with zero pressure signs. It feels just like Remington's 158 grain +P LSWCHP.
As I run out of HP38 I am switching to some Titegroup I got for cheap ($17/lb) and plan on using 4.2 gr in mixed .38 Special cases with 158 gr swaged lead SWCs (Hornady and Speer).
Are you using a small regular primer or a small pistol magnum primer? I think all I've got are small pistol magnum. I'd drop down to around 3 gr and work my way up.
.....![[popcorn]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/043.gif "Popcorn [popcorn]")
.....![[coffee]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/028.gif "Coffee [coffee]")
.....
..........
I've reloaded thousands of rounds of .38 Spcl using magnum primers without any issue. But those were mostly bunny fart loads. This is a stronger loading.
That said, I'm ashamed to admit that I just looked in my inventory and realized that I forgot that several years ago I bought a couple thousand regular small pistol primers off a guy.
In the inimitable words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, never mind.![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
That said, I'm ashamed to admit that I just looked in my inventory and realized that I forgot that several years ago I bought a couple thousand regular small pistol primers off a guy.
In the inimitable words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, never mind.
I think you're right. I have some S.P. magnum primers and want to use them up (seeing that I'm out of regular S.P.). I load "mid-range" for my 38 spl's so it probably wont make a great deal of difference. I'll just load a few to try and then check to see if it shows any signs of over pressure.
I've worked my way up to 3.9 gr of Bullseye using the 158 gr RN plated Berry Bullets. No signs of overpressure. PF is around 111. One issue that I'm having is a fairly large variation in speed. I'm seeing about 70 fps between max and min in a batch of 5. I don't think this is due to powder charge, as I chronoed a batch of 5 148 gr semi-wadcutters, and had a variation of less than 30 fps.
Any ideas what might be causing this? Should I try a stronger crimp?
Rumor has it that IDPA will shortly announce a new PF for SSR of 105. If that is the case, I may work my way up to 115 PF to give myself a decent cushion.
Any ideas what might be causing this? Should I try a stronger crimp?
Rumor has it that IDPA will shortly announce a new PF for SSR of 105. If that is the case, I may work my way up to 115 PF to give myself a decent cushion.
M1911,
Perhaps, if they are with mixed head stamps, the variations in the brass thicknesses is causing variations in the tightness of the crimp. That would account for what you are seeing.
But, a simple test would prove or dis-prove that one:
Sort out some brass by headstamp, trying to get brass that is as much alike as possible (I see, for example, headstamps from the same company that are slightly different). Try to get the sample lot all exactly the same.
Then, process as usual, and test the speeds.
The dependable test for whether the crimp is good enough is still my 8' test:
Stand 8 feet from a blank piece of paper target, and fire a round. If you only see a hole, then the crimp is good. If you see a hole, surrounded by a gray spiral pattern, the crimp is too loose. The gray spiral pattern is burning powder, sprayed down your bore. If crimped correctly, all of the powder should get burned in the case, and only come out the barrel as gas. For some reason, 8 feet is kind of the perfect distance for seeing this effect.
Perhaps, if they are with mixed head stamps, the variations in the brass thicknesses is causing variations in the tightness of the crimp. That would account for what you are seeing.
But, a simple test would prove or dis-prove that one:
Sort out some brass by headstamp, trying to get brass that is as much alike as possible (I see, for example, headstamps from the same company that are slightly different). Try to get the sample lot all exactly the same.
Then, process as usual, and test the speeds.
The dependable test for whether the crimp is good enough is still my 8' test:
Stand 8 feet from a blank piece of paper target, and fire a round. If you only see a hole, then the crimp is good. If you see a hole, surrounded by a gray spiral pattern, the crimp is too loose. The gray spiral pattern is burning powder, sprayed down your bore. If crimped correctly, all of the powder should get burned in the case, and only come out the barrel as gas. For some reason, 8 feet is kind of the perfect distance for seeing this effect.
Thanks! Somewhere in my basement, I hear a bunny passing gas...
Yeah, I was just looking through my load data. It looks like I can drop my SSR load (158gr BBI LRN) from 4.5gr HP-38 down to 3.8gr and still make a comfortable 115PF. I think I have ~800 rounds loaded at ~132PF which will take me a while to burn through since I'm concentrating on IDPA/SSP and USPSA/Production.
FYI, DukeInMaine, I sort my brass by headstamp and # of reloadings. So I'd be surprised if the cause is due to brass differences, particularly since my lead wadcutter loads are so much more consistent.
